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As well as continuing to dominate the search market Google is trying to do its bit for the environment and people by investing in companies that may change the world and help make a difference. While some of the ideas it decides to invest in are obvious, others are less so but still interesting and surprising in some cases.

As part of Google’s Project 10^100 the search giant has announced the five ideas that got the most votes for receiving backing. They include:

The most unusual of those five ideas is the last one on the list called Shweeb. As Google explain:

Shweeb is a concept for short to medium distance, urban personal transport, using human-powered vehicles on a monorail.

Here’s a video of Shweeb in action:

Google has given the company $1 million for research and development. What this means is Google think this is a good idea, and therefore we could have the option in the future to travel on a monorail where you pedal to provide power and can take in the scenery during your daily commute.

Whether you think this is cool or not, it’s certainly an example of thinking differently about some of the transport challenges we face in the future.

When I first watched the video of Shweeb being used I thought this was a joke. A clear capsule you lie down in and pedal while travelling along a rail through the streets? Seriously?

But then you start to think about all the benefits and it makes sense. This is a transport system that does not take up a lot of space, needs no power so there’s no carbon emissions, gets people fit by cycling regularly, creates no traffic jams on the roads, and looks pretty fast too.

While it will exclude certain people who are either too big to get in the capsules, or unable to cycle for some reason, for the majority of people it is a valid method of transport that shouts green living.